Vamana Purana — Shiva's Kedara Tirtha, Shloka 5

Shiva’s Kedara-Tirtha and the Rise of Mura: From Shaiva Pilgrimage to Vaishnava Theology

Devanagari script

महामुद्रार्पितग्रीवो महाहिकुतकुण्डलः धारयाणः कटीदेशे महाशङ्खस्य मेखलाम्

Transliteration

mahāmudrārpitagrīvo mahāhikutakuṇḍalaḥ dhārayāṇaḥ kaṭīdeśe mahāśaṅkhasya mekhalām

Translation

Le cou marqué et orné d’un grand sceau (mudrā), portant de massives boucles d’oreilles hikuta et ceignant sa taille d’une ceinture façonnée d’une grande conque (śaṅkha), ainsi paré, il poursuivit sa route.

Word by Word

• mahā-mudrā-arpita-grīvaḥ: whose neck is adorned with a great seal/amulet
• mahā-mudrā-arpita-grīvaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + mudrā (प्रातिपदिक) + arpita (कृदन्त, √arp/अर्प्) + grīva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि-समासः—यस्य ग्रीवा महामुद्रया अर्पिता

• mahā-ahi-kuta-kuṇḍalaḥ: having earrings of great serpent-like form
• mahā-ahi-kuta-kuṇḍalaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + ahi (प्रातिपदिक) + kuta (प्रातिपदिक) + kuṇḍala (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st), एकवचन; बहुव्रीहि—यस्य कुण्डले महाहिकुत-रूपे (सर्प-आकृत्यादि)

• dhārayāṇaḥ: wearing / bearing
• dhārayāṇaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √dhṛ (धातु) + śānac प्रत्यय (धारयाण)
• Form: वर्तमानकाले कृदन्तः (शानच्/शतृ-समकक्ष), परस्मैपदी; पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; ‘धारयन्’ = carrying/wearing

• kaṭī-deśe: at/on the waist-region
• kaṭī-deśe: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kaṭī (प्रातिपदिक) + deśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग (deśa), सप्तमी-विभक्ति (7th/Locative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः—कटी-देशः

• mahā-śaṅkhasya: of a great conch
• mahā-śaṅkhasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mahā (प्रातिपदिक) + śaṅkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (6th/Genitive), एकवचन; कर्मधारयः—महान् शङ्खः

• mekhalām: a girdle/belt
• mekhalām: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mekhalā (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, द्वितीया-विभक्ति (2nd/Accusative), एकवचन

Speakers

• Narrator voice (contextual; specific speaker not stated in the verse)

Primary Deities

• Shiva (Maheśvara)

Key Themes

• Iconography of Śiva
• Ascetic yet emblem-adorned deity
• Purāṇic descriptive style (rūpa-varṇana)

Verse Rasa (Emotional Flavour)

{ "primaryRasa": "adbhuta", "secondaryRasa": "vira", "rasaIntensity": 0, "emotionalArcPosition": "", "moodDescriptors": [] }

FAQs

Is this verse giving a standard iconography of Śiva?

It gives a localized Purāṇic rūpa-varṇana (form-description). Some elements are familiar (ornaments, distinctive emblems), while others—like a conch-girdle—are unusual and may signal a specific vrata-context or regional tradition preserved in this chapter.

How should we understand ‘mudrā’ here—gesture or seal/mark?

Given ‘arpita-grīva’ (placed on the neck), ‘mudrā’ most naturally reads as a seal/mark/emblematic ornament rather than a hand-gesture. It indicates a visible sign of vow, identity, or consecration.

Does the conch (śaṅkha) have Vaiṣṇava resonance in a Śaiva passage?

Yes, śaṅkha is strongly Vaiṣṇava in later iconography, but Purāṇic symbolism is fluid. A conch used as a mekhalā can underscore Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava symbolic overlap or a specific ritual accoutrement tied to the ‘mahāvrata’ context.